Romans Chapter 1

Introductory remarks:

This first chapter of Romans gives us the basis for all who will to be saved; the realization that we are all totally depraved, and can only be justified by faith alone in Christ alone, for the just shall live by faith. "Paul's greeting to the church at Rome mentions that Christ is the fulfillment of prophecy and is the one who called both the apostles and the believers. Paul assures the church that he earnestly desires to visit and share with them. The ungodly, wishing to forget God, ignore the evidence of Him in creation and revel in righteousness" (A Survey of Romans - by Brenda). This chapter may be outlined as follows: salutation vv. 1-7; Paul's desire to visit Rome vv. 8-15; the power of the Gospel vv. 16-17; the guilt of mankind vv. 18-32.

Salutation

Verse 1, "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God."

LGT "Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ, a called apostle, separated to the Gospel of God."

Paul: the name Paul, gr. Paulus, means little, probably referring to his being small in stature. A slave of Christ: The Greek word for "slave" is doulos, and it means a servant or slave; a hired servant is different from a slave; a slave is made, either by a master or even by himself; a servant is hired and paid a wage. Paul introduces himself as a slave of Christ. Christ does not make a person a slave. Paul voluntarily made himself a slave of Jesus Christ because he was made an apostle for His service, and Paul considered himself a slave because he was bought with the price of Christ's blood shed on the cross: he considered himself belonging to His master Jesus Christ. A called apostle: we know from the Book of the Acts that Jesus Christ personally made Paul an apostle on his trip to Damascus. A distinction of all the apostles is that they were made apostles by the Lord Jesus Christ. All twelve of the apostles, except Mathias, were personally made apostles by the Lord Jesus Christ; and now we have the thirteenth apostle, Paul, originally Saul of Tarsus. Another distinction was that they were witnesses of the resurrected Christ, and Paul was witness also on the road to Damascus. Paul was called to the official office of an apostle; today we do not have apostles, for they were the original twelve, and there were no more called. Separated unto the Gospel of God: all of Paul's teachings, doctrines, he calls the "Gospel of God", that is, the Good News from God. Vincent notes that the word Gospel as Paul uses it here is not the preaching of the Gospel, but the entire message itself. The Gospel is God given not man made.

Verse 2, "(Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)"

LGT "Which He promised before through His prophets in Holy Writings."

God spoke the Gospel, the Good News in all the Old Testament Scriptures, and Paul was educated in them. The Old Testament Scriptures were called Holy because they were inspired by the Holy Spirit. "We may see here, (1.) The reverence, which Paul showed for the Old Testament. He never undervalued it. He never regarded it as obsolete, or useless. He manifestly studied it; and never fell into the impious opinion that the Old Testament is of little value. (2.) If these things were promised - predicted in the Old Testament, then Christianity is true. Every passage which he adduces is therefore proof that it is from God" (Barnes).

Verse 3, "Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh."

LGT "Concerning His Son, the one who came out of [the] seed of David, according to flesh."

Concerning his Son: This verse is connected to verse one, and would read without the parenthetical sentence in verse two: Separated unto the Gospel of God concerning His Son. The Good News of the Gospel is Good News because it is about God's Son, Jesus Christ. The One who came: this phrase simply means that God's Son came down to be born. In Gal. 4:4 we read: God sent forth His Son made of a woman: born of a woman; and John 8:58: Before Abraham was [born], I am. Christ was born of the Virgin Mary in order to become a man; He was truly God and truly man. Out of the seed of David: Christ's human birth was of the family tree of David.

Barnes notes on this phrase"

"He was a descendant of David. David was perhaps the most illustrious of the kings of Israel. The promise to him was that there should not fail a Man to sit on his throne; 1 Kings 2:4; 8:25; 9:5; 2 Chron. 6:16. This ancient promise was understood as referring to the Messiah, and hence in the New Testament He is called the descendant of David, and so much pains is taken to show that He was of his line' Luke 1:27; Matt. 9:27; 15:22; 12:23; 21:9, 15; 22:42, 45; John 7:42; 2 Tim. 2:8. As the Jews universally believed that the Messiah would be descended from David (John 7:42), it was of great importance for the sacred writers to make it out to clearly that Jesus of Nazareth was of that line and family. Hence it happened, that though our Savior was humble, and poor, and obscure, yet He had that on which no small part of the world have been accustomed so much to pride themselves, an illustrious ancestry. To a Jew there could be scarcely any honor so high as to be descended from the best of their kings; and it shows how little the Lord Jesus esteemed the honors of this world, that He could always evince His deep humility in circumstances where men are usually proud; and that when He spoke of the honors of this world, and told how little they were worth, He was not denouncing that which was not within His reach."

According to the flesh: this statement describes the fact that He was man according to the flesh; Christ had a human nature by being born of the Virgin Mary, but He did not have an old sin nature because He had no human father; thus we read in Acts 2:30, God hath sworn with an oath that the fruit of His loins according to the flesh, i.e. in His human nature, He would raise up Christ to sit on His throne. Rom. 9:5, whose are the Fathers, and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. This fact that He had a human nature implies that He also had another nature, that is, He was God; He was truly God and truly Man.

Barnes notes:

"The expression according to the flesh is applied to no other one in the New Testament but to Jesus Christ. Though the word flesh often occurs, and is often used to denote man, yet the peculiar expression according to the flesh occurs in no other connection. In all Scriptures it is never said of any prophet or apostle, any lawgiver or king, or any man in any capacity, that he came in the flesh, or that he was descended from certain ancestors according to the flesh. Nor is such an expression ever used anywhere else. If it were applied to a mere man, we should instantly ask in what other way could he come in the flesh? Has he a higher nature? Is he an angel, or a seraph? The expression would be unmeaning. And when, therefore, it is applied to Jesus Christ, it implies, if language has any meaning, that there was a sense in which Jesus was not descended from David. What that was, appears in the next verse."

Verse 4, "And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead."

LGT "Who was marked out Son of God with power, according to [the] spirit of holiness, by resurrection of [the] dead - Jesus Christ our Lord;"

Who was marked out Son of God in power: the word "declared' in Greek is marked out. He was the Son of God in eternity past. For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich (2 Cor. 8:9). And who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God (Phil. 2:6). According to the spirit of holiness: "In contrast with according to the flesh. The reference is not to the Holy Spirit, who is nowhere designated by this phrase, but to the spirit of Christ as the seat of the divine nature belonging to His person. As God is spirit, the divine nature of Christ is spirit, and its characteristic quality is holiness" (Vincent). By the resurrection of the dead: The KJV has it resurrection from the dead. This is incorrect, for Christ is the first of the resurrection of the dead. The resurrection of Christ marks out that He is the Son of God. The resurrection proves everything concerning Christ. All throughout the New Testament Christ is presented in the power of His resurrection. Jesus Christ our Lord: His full name states his humanity and His deity, that is, His full personality.

Verse 5, "By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among the nations, for his name."

LGT "By whom we received grace and apostleship unto obedience of faith among all the nations, in behalf of His name."

Here Paul returns to his salutation: By whom: Paul repeatedly insist that the ones he is addressing know for certain that it was Jesus Christ and not man that made him an apostle. We received grace and apostleship: Paul uses the singular we here meaning himself alone and not the other apostles; that is, it is an exclusive we and not an inclusive we. However, Christ also appointed the other apostles to their office. The reason for the singular we, is that he is distinguished as the one who was called to the nations. Unto obedience of faith: the whole purpose of the apostleship is to encourage all believers to obey Christ by faith; not to obey Christ to receive faith, for Christ is the Author and finisher of our faith. Paul induces them to obey the Word of God, which in turn produces more faith to obey. Among all nations: Paul was called to be an apostle to the Gentiles. In behalf of His name: this phrase is literally on account of His name; it was for the honor and glory of Christ that Paul served. "The design of the apostleship was to produce obedience to the gospel among all the nations, that thus the name of Jesus might be honored. Their work was not one in which they were seeking to honor themselves, but it was solely for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ. For Him they toiled, they encountered perils, they laid down their lives, because by so doing they might bring men to obey the gospel [that is faith alone in Christ alone], and thus Jesus Christ might wear a brighter crown, and be attended by a longer and more splendid train of worshippers in the kingdom of His glory" (Barnes).

Verse 6, "Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:"

LGT "Among whom are ye also called to be Jesus Christ's."

Among whom: the Church at Rome was made up of mainly Gentile believers. Called to be Jesus Christ's: the believers in Rome were called, not as Paul was called to be an apostle, but to the possession of Jesus Christ. They were called to be His followers and be obedient to His Word. "This concludes the profound parenthesis in the introduction to this letter to the Romans. Dr. James Stifler calls our attention to four features of this parenthesis: Paul has a message in accord with the Scriptures; the message is from the risen Christ; the message is universal; and the message is for the obedience to the faith" (Quoted by McGee).

Verse 7, "To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ."

LGT "To all the ones who are in Rome beloved of God, called saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ."

To all the ones who are in Rome beloved of God: All the believers in Rome, whether belonging to the church at Rome or just visiting Rome. All Christians are the ones whom God loves. Called saints: All believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are saints, which means they are set apart unto God by the Lord Jesus Christ. "The phrase called to be saints should be simply called saints - the verb to be is not in the better manuscripts. They were called saints and this is the name for every believer. A saint is not one who has been exalted; a saint is one who exalts Jesus Christ. A person becomes a saint when Jesus Christ becomes his Savior. There are only two classes of people in the world: the saints and the ain'ts. If you are not an ain't, then you're a saint. And if you are a saint, you have trusted Christ. It is not your character that makes you a saint, it's your faith in Jesus Christ and the fact that you are set apart for Him. As Paul said of himself in the beginning, he was a bondslave of Jesus Christ" (McGee). Grace from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ: Grace is found in all of Paul's introductions in his letters to the saints. Everyone who has been born again has God as their Father; God is the God of all mankind, but He is the Father of all who have trusted Christ to be their Savior.

Paul's Desire to Visit Rome

Verse 8, "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world."

LGT "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ concerning you all, that your faith is announced in the whole world."

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ concerning you all: Paul states that his prayers are ones of thanksgiving for the believers in Rome. He states that it is through Jesus Christ, as his Mediator, that is, it is because of Christ's finished work on the cross that he is able to go to the Father in the name of Jesus Christ, concerning you all. Paul says that thanking God for all the believers is the first to him in the matter of importance. "We are members of one great family, and we should make it a subject of thanksgiving that He confers any blessings, and especially the blessings of salvation, on any mortals" (Barnes). That your faith is announced in the whole world: the news of the Christian Church in Rome had spread throughout the habitable world. The faith of the Church in Rome was announced throughout the world. "It is not improper to commend Christians, and to remind them of their influence; and especially to call to their mind the great power which they may have on other churches and people. Nor is it improper that great displays of divine mercy should be celebrated every where, and excite in the churches praise to God" (Barnes).

Verse 9, "For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers."

LGT "For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the Glad Tidings of His Son, how I unceasingly make mention of you,"

For God is my witness: Paul uses this phrase to impress to the believers the sincerity of his prayers. Whom I serve: Paul makes known that he is committed to serve his God in not only spreading the Gospel of Grace, but also teaching other believers Church Doctrine. In my spirit in the Glad Tidings of His Son: Paul is saying that he is proclaiming these Glad Tidings with his whole heart and being, and that it is concerning the Lord Jesus Christ that his Gospel of Grace depends. How I unceasingly make mention of you: This phrase should be connected with the first phrase of the next verse. The term unceasingly, I am sure, is that Paul every time Paul remembered them he prayed for them. It shows how interested Paul was in the Church at Rome, of which he had never visited.

Verse 10, "Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you."

LGT "Always at my prayers beseeching, if by any means now at length I shall be prospered, by the will of God, to come to you."

Always at my prayers making request: whenever Paul prayed, he prayed for the Christians in Rome. If by any means: Paul expresses his desire as though, up to this point he had been hindered. Now at length: Paul expresses his deep longing that had been his to come and see the Christians in Rome. I shall be prospered by the will of God to come to you: Paul makes this request to have a prosperous journey only in the will of God. He does not presume anything from God, but only at His direction. Paul's desire was always to teach the Word of God to the Romans. The Lord gave Paul His orders, and he would not take one step out of it.

McGee notes:

"Paul is praying for a prosperous journey to come to Rome. When we read about his journey in the book of Acts, it doesn't look exactly prosperous - he went as a prisoner, he got into a terrific storm at sea, the ship was lost, and he was bitten by a viper when he made it to land. Yet it was a prosperous journey."

Verse 11, For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established."

LGT "For I long to see you, in order that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, to the end ye may be established,"

That I may impart unto you some spiritual gift: once again we must keep in mind the fact that this is the Apostolic Age before the Bible was complete, so it was necessary that spiritual gifts were in operation, in order to get the Word of God out to every nation, in order for Christ's commission to His apostles, to go into all the world and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom. I realize that most evangelical teachers, like McGee, teach these gifts are for today; they teach, however, that the sign gifts, such as tongues, prophecy, and healings, ceased with the completion of Scriptures, but that the other gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 are perpetual even in the age of grace. I believe that they have no Scriptural ground for their claims, and have I written a paper on these gifts stating that all spiritual gifts have ceased, based on the fact that in this age of grace we only have need of the Word of God, and that the Holy Spirit works His ministry through the Word of God. I realize that the Holy Spirit works through other human agencies, but as far as Bible doctrine and Salvation are concerned, no one has ever learned doctrine, nor has anyone ever been saved outside the Word of God. There is no substitute, such as spiritual gifts, for the need to study Bible doctrine.

Paul gives the reason he imparted these spiritual gifts in the next phrase and verse, to the end ye may be established: Paul does not say that he may establish them, but that they may be established; by stating it this way Paul gives all the credit to the Holy Spirit, not only for their learning doctrine, but for their well being as true Christians. The Holy Spirit used these gifts for this purpose until the Bible was completed, and available to Christians.

Verse 12, "That is, that I may be comforted together with you by mutual faith both of you and me."

LGT "That is, to be comforted together among you, through the faith in one another, both yours and mine."

This is the rest of the reason that Paul would, through the Holy Spirit, impart these gifts on the Christians in Rome; you see they would, by these Spiritual gifts, edify one another. The Holy Spirit would work His ministry through these gifts, and then later, in this age of grace, work through the inspired Word of God.

Vincent notes:

"That is: is not merely an explanatory repetition of the preceding phrase, but modifies the idea contained in it. It is a modest and delicate explanation, by which Paul guards himself against the possible appearance of underestimating the Christian standpoint of his readers, to whom he was still, personally, a stranger. Hence he would say: I desire to impart some spiritual gift that you may be strengthened; not that I would imply a reproach of weakness or instability; but that I desire for you the strengthening of which I stand in need along with you, and which I hope may be wrought in us both by our personal intercourse and our mutual faith."

Barnes notes four wonderful points on this verse:

"We may remark, (1.) That one effect the Christian family, is to produce the desire of the communion of saints. It is the nature of Christianity to seek the society [that is, to socialize] of those who are the friends of Christ. (2.) Nothing is better fitted to produce growth in grace than such communion. Every Christian should have one or more Christian friends to whom he may unbosom himself. No small part of the difficulties, which young Christians experience, would vanish, if they should communicate their feelings and views to others. Feelings, which they suppose no Christians ever had, which greatly distress them, they will find are common among those who are experienced in the Christian life. (3.) There is nothing better fitted to excite the feelings, and confirm the hopes of Christian ministers, than the firm faith of young converts, of those just commencing the Christian life, 3 Jon 4. (4.) The Apostle did not disdain to be taught by the humblest Christians. He expected to be strengthened himself by the faith of those just beginning the Christian life. There is none so poor in the Church of Christ, that he cannot make some addition of importance to our stores, (Calvin).

Verse 13, "Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come to you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles."

LGT "But I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, because many times I proposed to come to you, but was hindered until the present, in order that some fruit I might have also among you, just as also among the other Gentiles."

"But I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren: this is an categorical statement calling attention to what he is about to say. Because many times I proposed to come to you, but was hindered until the present: in Acts 19:21 we read: After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome. The next phrase in the KJV is in parenthesis, and the word "let" means was hindered: but was hindered until the present: we do not know exactly how the Holy Spirit hindered Paul from going to Rome, but one of the most obvious reasons is that he was being used so much in other places. In order that some fruit I might have also among you: here Paul is saying that he desired not only to see sinners saved, but according to verse 10 he desired to edify the church; our Savior said: I have chosen you, and ordained you that you should bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain (John 15:16). Just as also among the other Gentiles: Paul had desired to see a successful church grow in grace and the knowledge of truth as he had seen in other Gentile cities. Paul wrote to the Colossians: Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world, and bringing forth fruit, as it does also in you, since the day ye heard of it and knew the grace of God in truth.

Verse 14, "I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise."

LGT "Both to Greeks and Barbarians, both to the wise and unwise, I am a debtor,"

Paul says that he had a debt of making known the grace of God to all mankind. Both to Greeks: these are the polished educated class. And barbarians: these are the non-Greeks. Both to the wise: these are the ones who prided themselves on their wisdom; the very name Greek was synonymous with being educated. And unwise: the uneducated and unpolished members of mankind. I am a debtor: Paul felt a great responsibility to preach the Gospel of Grace to every member he came in contact with.

Verse 15, "So much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also."

LGT "So as to me [there is] readiness also to you, the ones in Rome, to announce the glad-tidings."

Paul said in the last verse that he had a debt to pay to all mankind, and now he says he is ready and willing to pay that debt of announcing glad-tidings to the ones, that is, the church in Rome. This verse concludes the preface to his epistle.

The Power of the Gospel

Verse 16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

LGT "For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes, both to the Jew first, and to [the] Greek."

For I am not ashamed of the gospel: Paul is saying that even though the gospel of grace is being held in contempt by the masses, he is not ashamed of it. He goes on to give the reason he is not ashamed; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes: Paul had witnessed the power of God in his own life, and this was evidenced by his preaching both to the Jew first, and to [the] Greek. Paul preached to the Jew first, not in preference, but in point of time. Paul teaches that the power of God unto salvation is not only the power to save the sinner, but also to keep the sinner saved by His wonderful grace, and one cannot be lost, once saved. Not to believe in eternal security is to deny the efficacy and power of God.

Verse 17, "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."

LGT "For a righteousness of God in it is being revealed by faith to faith, just as it has been written [and stands written], The just shall live by faith."

For a righteousness of God is revealed in it: the words in it refer to the gospel of God. Notice the literal translation has a righteousness of God not the righteousness of God; God could never give up His own righteousness; however, Christ has imputed a righteousness on us all who believe that is perfect and acceptable to the Father. It is being revealed by faith to faith: this righteousness that is imputed on those who put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, is a righteousness that means we stand before a righteous God robed in the righteousness of Christ. It does not mean that we do not sin; however it does mean that our standing before God is as if we had never committed one act of sin. Just as it has been written [and stands written], The just shall live by faith; We are saved by faith, and we now live by faith, and we will soon die by faith. Our initial faith in Christ will grow as we mature in Bible doctrine and will grow from faith unto faith. "It is God's plan for pardoning sin, and for treating us as if we had not committed it; that is, adopting us as His children, and admitting us to heaven on the ground of what the Lord Jesus has done in our stead. This is God's plan. Men seek to save themselves by their own works. God's plan is to save them by the merits of Jesus Christ" (Barnes).

The Guilt of Mankind

Verse 18, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness."

LGT "For there is revealed from heaven wrath of God upon all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold down the truth in unrighteousness."

For there is revealed from heaven wrath of God: wrath is a true emotion of God. So many people think of God as simply a God of Love; this is true, but God also hates sin, and He does have the true feeling of wrath against all ungodliness. God's wrath is not His punishment of sin, but His attitude against sin. God's plan of salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone; all other plans fall under God's wrath. Upon all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men: Paul states the fact that all opposition to the honor due God falls under the category of ungodliness and unrighteousness. Anything that comes short of the glory due God is sin. "Many men suppose that if they do not neglect their duty to their fellow-men, if they are honest and upright in their dealings, they are not guilty, even though they are not righteous, or do not do their duty to God; as though it were a less crime to dishonor God than man; and as though it were innocence to neglect and disobey our Maker and Redeemer" (Barnes). Ungodliness is man's sins against God, while unrighteousness covers man's sins against his neighbor, that is, his fellowman. Who hold down the truth in unrighteousness: men suppress the truth by their unrighteousness and ungodly living.

Barnes lists six ways men resist the truth:

"(1.) Men of influence and wealth employ both, indirectly opposing the gospel. (2.) Men directly resist the doctrines of true religion, since they know they could not hold to those doctrines without abandoning their sins. (3.) Men who resolve to live in sin, of course, resist the gospel, and endeavor to prevent its influence. (4.) Pride, and vanity, and the love of the world also resist the gospel, and oppose its advances. (5.) Unlawful business - business that begins in evil, and progresses, and ends in evil - has this tendency to hold back the gospel. (6.) Indulgence in vice, or wickedness of any kind, holds back the truth of God. Men who are resolved to indulge their passions will not yield themselves to the truth."

Verse 19, "Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them."

LGT "Because that which is known of God is manifest among them: for God manifest [it] in them."

This gives the reason for God's wrath being revealed (vs. 18), because God has revealed the truth that God is the Creator. The universal knowledge of God as Creator disappears in man's continued rejection. God provided man with reason and conscience that they are capable of believing; however, the unbeliever refuses to use these God given gifts and they continue to stew in their own ignorant juice.

Verse 20, "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse."

LGT "For the invisible things of Him from the creation of [the] world by the things that are made being understood are perceived, both His eternal power and Divinity, for them to be without excuse."

For the invisible things of Him: the invisible things constitute God's attributes and divine nature. These are the things of God that are not perceptible to the eye. From the creation of [the] world by the things that are made: this obviously refers to the entire material universe. The word "from" can mean since the creation of the world, or it may imply by means of, that is, by the act of creation. Being understood are perceived: that is, they are clearly perceived by simple investigation through the five senses. Both His eternal power and divinity: God's deity is perceived, that is, the sum total of His attributes. For them to be without excuse: the answer being that with all this proof, rejection of Christ as Savior is a matter of willful turning away from the Truth. No man will be able to stand before God's Great White Throne and be able to make an excuse that they never heard the gospel. When men reject any light available, they reject the entire Truth of the Word of God. "I think the most ridiculous position man can hold is that of atheism. It is illogical and senseless. When the psalmist said, The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God (Ps. 14:1), the word fool means insane. A man is insane when he denies the existence of God" (McGee). Man clearly rejects having all the evidence surrounding him. "For such there is no excuse, or shadow of excuse, to be offered in the day of doom. And there is no fact more melancholy [depressing] in our history, and no one thing that more proves the stupidity of men, than this sad forgetfulness of Him that made the heavens, even amid all the wonders and glories that have come fresh from the hand of God, and that every where speak His praise" (Barnes). Matthew Poole says "the evidence of God through His universe is so clear there is no pretence of ignorance left for man."

Verse 21, "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened."

LGT "Because having known God, they glorified [Him] not as God or were thankful, but became vain in their reasonings, and the heart of them was darkened without understanding."

Because having known God: we have been taught in churches that there are people who have never heard about God. The fact of the matter is there is no such thing as a tribe of people who have never heard; no matter how primitive the tribe, they began sophisticated and devolved into beasts, as we shall see from this passage. Every race of people had their origin in Ham, Shem or Japheth, the three sons of Noah that survived the flood. At Babel, the peoples of the earth were scattered to the ends of the earth. "I think it may be proved from facts that any given people, down to the lowest savages, has at any period of its life known far more than it has done: known quite enough to have enabled it to have got on comfortably, thriven and developed, if it had only done what no man does, all that it knew it ought to do and could do" (Charles Kingsley - The Roman and Teuton - quoted by Vincent). They glorified [Him] not as God: instead of glorifying God, men invented other gods, some they even made with their hands to worship. They refused to give God His rightful place in their lives; The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the heathen that forget God (Ps. 9:17). Or were thankful: their hearts became hard because they refused to give God thanks. As soon as men think they do not need God, they forget to thank Him; they become self-sufficient, and leave God out of their lives completely. They even, as McGee notes, 'concocted the theory of evolution.' But became vain in their reasonings: the Jews used the word mataia meaning vain things for idols. When men leave God out of all their equations the only thing left is vanity. Without God man is but a mere creature of this earth with nothing left but vain wandering. And the heart of them was darkened without understanding: God is light, and without Him man walks in darkness. "The process which is stated in this verse is, (1.) That men had the knowledge of God. (2.) That they refused to honor Him when they knew Him, and were opposed to His character and government. (3.) That they were ungrateful. (4.) That they then began to doubt, to reason, to speculate, and wandered far into darkness. This is substantially the process by which men wander away from God now. They have the knowledge of God, but they do not love Him; and being dissatisfied with His character and government, they begin to speculate, fall into error, and then find no end in wandering mazes lost, and sink into the depths of heresy and of sin" (Barnes).

Verse 22, "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,"

LGT "Professing to be wise, they became fools,"

This phrase presents to us an oxymoron, that is, a combination of contradictory words; they think themselves wise, but in the sight of God they are fools, for the fool has said in his heart, there is no God (Ps. 14:1).

Verse 23, "And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things."

LGT "And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into a likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and quadrupeds, and creeping things."

Into a likeness of corruptible man: in the heathen mind they make images of what they think a god should be. And of birds, and quadrupeds, and creeping things:

McGee notes:

"Have you noted that the unsaved world has made caricatures of God? Look at the images and the idols of the heathen. I was aware of this during my visit to the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus. That city in the Roman Empire reached probably the highest degree of culture in civilization that any city has ever reached. Yet at the heart of that city was one of the most horrible images imaginable, enshrined in the temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Called also Diana, she was not the lovely image you see in Greek sculptures. She is like the Oriental Cybele, the mother goddess, the many-breasted one, She had a trident in one hand and in the other a club - she was a mean one. That is the idea the most cultured, civilized people had of God! She was a female principal, and gross immorality took place around her temple, and dishonesty of the worst sort. They had turned the glory of the uncorruptible God into the likeness of an image of corruptible man. Actually, idolatry is a cartoon of God; it is a slander and a slur against Him. Personally I do not like to see pictures of Jesus, as Paul said that we know Him no longer after the flesh (see 2 Cor. 5:16). He is the glorified Christ. He is not that picture you have hanging on your wall, my friend. If He came into your room, you would fall on your face before Him. He is the glorified Christ today. Don't slur our God by having a picture of Him! The Greeks made their gods like men; the Assyrians and the Egyptians and the Babylonians made their gods like beasts and birds and creeping things. I walked through the museum in Cairo and looked at some of the gods they had made. They are not very flattering representations, I can assure you.

Man did not begin in idolatry. The savage of today is very unlike primitive man. Primitive man was monotheistic [he believed in only one God]; idolatry was introduced later. In the Word of God the first record we have of idolatry is in connection with Rachel stealing her father's idols (Gen. 31). Man descended downward; he did not develop upward. Religiously man has departed from God. Sir William Ramsay, who was once a belligerent unbeliever, wrote in The cities of Paul: 'For my own part, I confess that my experience and reading show nothing to confirm the modern assumptions in religious history, and a great deal to confirm Paul. Whatever evidence exists, with the rarest exceptions, the history of religion among men is a history of degradation. . . . Is not the fact of human history that man, standing alone, degenerates; and that he progresses only where there is in him so much sympathy with and devotion to the Divine life as to keep the social body pure and sweet and healthy?' My friend, the reason today there is failure in our poverty programs and health programs and other social programs is because of gross immorality and a turning away from God. They say, 'We want to be practical, and we do not want to introduce religion.' That's the problem. The only practical thing for man to do is to return to the living and true God."

Verse 24, "Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves."

LGT "Wherefore God gave them up in the desires of their own hearts to uncleanness, their bodies to be dishonored between them."

Wherefore: Paul's unchangeable logic. Because they were unwilling to retain God in their knowledge, and chose to worship idols, God gave them up in the desires of their own hearts: this is the price for man's moral freedom; God gives man his choices, as Robertson puts it, "These people had already willfully deserted God who merely left them to their own self-determination and self-destruction." God handed them over to the power of sin. (See on Matt. 4:12; 11:27; 26:2; Mark 4:29; Luke 1:2; 1 Peter 2:23.) This does not mean that God actively induced them to sin; He simply gave them over to their own free will. Barnes lists three choices man makes on his way to ruin: "(1.) That the tendency of man was to these sins; (2.) That the tendency of idolatry was to promote them; and (3.) That all that was needful, in order that man should commit them, was for God to leave him to follow the devices and desires of his own heart; comp. Ps. 81:12; 2 Thess. 2:10,12." To uncleanness: to moral impurities and defilement, which Paul goes on to specify. Their bodies to be dishonored between them: this is a pitiful result of man's depraved departure from our God. Today, our society wants us to accept homosexual acts as simply an alternative lifestyle; however, God's Divine viewpoint is that it is a gross sin, and must be forgiven. Homosexual behavior is learned and not inherited, that is, a person is not born homosexual; as all sins, this sin of homosexuality is in man's sin nature, and therefore, must be put under the Blood to be forgiven.

Verse 25, "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever."

LGT "For that they exchanged the truth of God into falsehood, and reverenced and served the created thing beyond the One who created [it], who is blessed unto the ages, Amen."

For they exchanged the truth of God into falsehood: I prefer the literal reading exchanged rather than the KJV changed. The fact of the matter is that the truth is immutable, that is, unable to be changed. The unbeliever exchanges the truth for falsehood. The phrase the truth of God is literally, the true God. There is but one true God, everything and everyone that is worshipped beside the true God is a false God, including the Roman Catholic Church's worship of Mary, that is, Mariolatry. In our recent trip to Old Mexico, we visited a huge church in Mazatlan, and inside the sanctuary above the altar at the front of the church was a huge statue of Mary, and beneath her feet was a small statue of the crucified Christ; it is very obvious where the church puts their emphasis. Our guide told us that a Jewish family donated a big part of the money to build the church, so they put a Star of David above every stain glass window in their honor; "Oh, consistency, consistency, thou art a jewel." And reverenced and served the created thing beyond the One who created [it]: they worshipped God's creation above and beyond the worship of God; it is literally understood that they passed God by completely in their idolatry. They were guilty of two great heresies; (1.) They changed the truth of God into a lie, and (2.) They worshipped their pretended gods. Who is blessed unto the ages: Robertson says, "this is one of Paul's doxologies that come at a moments notice when he is stirred. Amen: this word is added at the end of what he just said for emphasis, that is, so be it; it was common among the Hebrews to add this amen at the end of their praises.

Verse 26, "For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature."

LGT "For this reason God gave them up to passions of dishonor, for both their females changed the natural use into that contrary to nature;"

For this reason God gave them up: because they worshipped the created thing instead of the Creator. They did not worship God nor did they glorify Him as God; they became polytheistic idol worshippers. To passions of dishonor: Paul specifies the heathen's sins in order to show the level of degradation the reached in their vile unbelief. These sins were practiced, as they are today, without shame; and this is the dishonor of their passions. For both their females changed the natural use into that contrary to nature: God gave them up to do that which is contrary to nature; for even the beasts despise this type of vile behavior. No further description is necessary.

Verse 27, "And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet."

LGT "And in like manner also the males, having left the natural use of the female, were inflamed in their lust towards one another, males with males working out shame, and receiving the recompense which was fit of their error in themselves."

This is the reason Greece fell and Rome. I need not remain on this subject only to say that all the descriptions I have read, the disgusting nature of the sin leaves me unable to describe it beyond what Paul does here. I would add this point and leave; the societies which indulged in this behavior did so without shame, just as is being done in these United States. I believe we are nearing the end of our existence as a nation.

Verse 28, "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient."

LGT "And just as they rejected to have God in [their] knowledge, God gave them up to an unapproving mind, to do things not fitting:"

"They rejected God and God rejected their mental attitude and gave them over (verse 24, 26, 28). Like an old abandoned building, the home of bats and snakes, left to do those things, which are not fitting, like the nightclubs of modern cities, the dives and dens of the underworld, without God and in the darkness of unrestrained animal impulses. This was a technical term with Stoics" (Robertson).

Verses 29-31, "Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful."

LGT "Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, guile, evil dispositions; whisperers, slanderers, hateful to God, insolent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful;"

1. Filled with unrighteousness: doing unrighteousness as a way of life.
2. Fornication: any sexual intercourse outside of marriage.
3. Covetousness: the desire to have what belongs to others.
4. Malice: it is that depravity and obliquity [deviation from sound thinking] of mind which strives to produce injury to others - Calvin.
5. Full of envy: "Pain, uneasiness, mortification, or discontent, excited by another's prosperity, accompanied with some degree of hatred or malignity, and often with a desire or an effort to depreciate the person, and with pleasure in seeing him depressed" (Webster).
6. Murder: the taking of human life with premeditated malice by a person of sane mind.
7. Strife: anger or heated zeal.
8. Guile: deceit, fraud, and falsehood.
9. Evil disposition: misinterpreting the actions of others, or putting the worst disposition on their actions.
10. Whisperers: telling secretly to others things that would not be said openly at their expense.
11. Slanderers: speaking evil of others, plain old gossip.
12. Haters of God: all unbelievers can be described as God haters.
13. Insolent: mistreating others in their presence.
14. Proud: an unreasonable conceit of one's superiority in talents, beauty, wealth, accomplishments etc. (Webster).
15. Boasters: those who brag about themselves about that which they do not posses, and glory in it.
16. Inventors of evil things: new devices to satisfy their evil lusts.
17. Disobedient to parents: they do not respect their parents nor show them the respect they deserve.
18. Without understanding: inconsiderate or foolish.
19. Covenant breakers: false to their contracts; refuse to pay what they owe.
20. Without natural affection: they actually sacrificed their children to idols.
21. Implacable: ruthless and hard hearted; an unforgiving temper.
22. Unmerciful: destitute of compassion.

Verse 32, "Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them."

LGT "Who having known the righteous judgment of God, that those doing such things are worthy of death, not only practice them, but also are consenting to those that do [them]."

Here we have the natural man in his unbelief; the unbeliever not only commits sins worthy of death, but also takes pleasure with everyone who practices such things. The unbeliever does not even know what sin is, because they have not the Spirit of God dwelling inside them. The unbeliever practices sin as a way of life. The believer knows what sin is, because it is missing the mark; the unbeliever has no mark to shoot for; the unbeliever practices these things mentioned in verse 31 as the way of life; they know no other way. The heathen know that God hates evil practices, but they are unconcerned because they take pleasure in them and also others who practice such things.

Go To Chapter 2

Share freely but cite the source: http://bbbiblehelps.epizy.com